New Amsterdam AI hub targets Europe sovereignty gap

A new AI hub is set to open in Amsterdam this September, positioning itself as Europe's answer to growing concerns about the continent's dependence on foreign AI technology.

Called The Stack, the initiative will occupy 4,500 square metres at Jacob Bontiusplaats 9 in the Oostenburg district. It is designed to bring together founders, investors, and corporate partners under one roof — with the explicit goal of building European AI capability rather than simply buying it from abroad.

"The news that Anthropic's latest AI models are now no longer available to Europe is a harsh wake-up call," said Esther Bisschop, The Stack's founding director, whose previous company, Th3rd, was acquired by Snap Inc. in 2022. "Our digital infrastructure still relies too heavily on players outside our continent. We are not here to celebrate European AI potential. We are here to make sure it stops being potential and starts being a product."

A home for AI founders

The Stack was co-founded by Dutch AI entrepreneurs Lennard Zwart (Ascending AI), Maarten Stolk (Deeploy, Enjins), and Philip Gast (AdamI, The AI Foundry), along with the Dutch startup accelerator Techleap. The project has raised more than €10 million in private capital, and counts global quantitative trading firm IMC as a founding partner. ABN AMRO, ClickHouse, Deloitte, Google, Miro, and Prosus round out the founding partner list, with backing from the City of Amsterdam.

Among the first confirmed tenants are Ubicloud, Dawnguard, and Iconic Works. The hub intends to house a curated group of the Netherlands' fastest-growing AI startups, providing not only office space but also labs, development programmes, and a purpose-built events venue for hackathons, investor days, and product demos.

The ambition extends well beyond a co-working space. By 2029, The Stack plans to expand to 12,000 square metres and accommodate more than 200 founders. It also aims to serve as a hub within a wider network of European tech clusters, reinforcing what organisers describe as the Eindhoven–Amsterdam corridor as a leading axis for AI innovation.

Notably, the founding partners include several American technology companies — a tension the founders address directly. "Sovereignty is not obtained by exclusion but through collaboration," the press release states, framing European and global partnerships as complementary rather than contradictory.